Hobbies And Interests
Bottle Toss
To recycle properly, households must have several receptacle bins for separating recyclable materials. Recycling services usually require paper, glass, tin and plastic bottles, for example, to be kept in a separate recycling bin because most recycling plants have to separate and break down these materials. When plastic soda bottles, shampoo bottles or laundry containers accumulate, pull the appropriate bin onto the driveway or sidewalk, and draw a line on the ground with chalk approximately 4 to 8 feet away from the bin. Allow children to take turns attempting to toss a bottle into the bin. Establish the number of attempts that are allowed, keep score, and give the person with the most baskets made a special reward, such as a chore pass, choice of dinner or an extra hour to watch TV before bedtime.
Craft Challenge
Encourage kids' creativity through simple craft projects that promote recycling by reusing plastic bottles. Provide children with clean, clear plastic bottles of different shapes and sizes, caps included, and various materials to fill them with. Supply kids with a pitcher of water and bottles of food coloring, colored sand, glitter, small seashells, rocks, markers and other small items and art supplies. Challenge kids to create unique bottle art using all the plastic bottles. For a more difficult game, establish a rule stating each piece of bottle art has to be made in a different way. Use finished bottle art pieces as shelf decor, book ends, paper weights or as vases for faux floral arrangements.
Flower Race
Make a planting game out of clean, plastic soda bottles for an Earth-friendly activity that encourages kids to think about recycling by using items in new and clever ways. Cut three soda bottles in half, fill the bottom halves 2/3 of the way with potting soil, and plant a different packet of flower seeds in each. Cover with soil, water and expose to sunlight per the instructions on the package. Have children make guesses as to which plant will sprout first. When the first plant sprouts, award the winner(s) with a small prize or privilege.
Scavenger Hunt
Get kids up and moving with physical recycling games such as scavenger hunts. Without children seeing, hide clean plastic bottles around the house or back yard. Give each child his own pillowcase or bag and have the children line up at the front door or another starting position in the house. Start the hunt and keep track of how many bottles children find, ending the hunt once all bottles have been found. Give hints if necessary. Once the hunt is over, have children empty their bottles into the appropriate recycling bin, counting each child's bottle totals. The child who finds the most bottles wins.